The new cheerleading program at Great Bend Middle School has generated a lot of enthusiasm, according to USD 428 school board member Cheryl Rugan. The school board got to see some of the cheerleaders in action Wednesday when GBMS hosted a board meeting over the noon hour.

“There’s no better place to be than a middle school on Halloween,” Principal David Reiser told the board members. For his building report, he also had seventh graders demonstrate how to do “hands-on algebra” using game pieces to solve equations. 

Cheerleading coaches Lori Tennis and Amber Lucchesi said there were 49 cheerleaders during football season and now there are 60 signed up during basketball and wrestling. Groups of eight take turns being in front of the stands at games. Those who aren’t performing still attend games in their warm-ups and sit together.

They take their roles as student leaders seriously, the coaches said. Their motto is, “Be a leader, not a boss.”

Tennis said she was proud when the cheerleaders decided on their own that if they see a student eating breakfast or lunch alone they will sit with that person. “We didn’t tell them to do it,” she said.

“They know grades are important,” Lucchesi added. Cheerleaders are required to attend a one-hour study hall every week, along with their practices after school.

Math demonstration

Seventh graders in Dr. Sherri Brantley’s class are learning pre-algebra through hands-on methods. Using game pieces, students showed school board members how to solve the equation 2x + 3 + 3x = x + 11.

“The purpose is to take the abstract and bring it to something more tactile so they will understand it,” said Tami Schepmann, who teaches English as a Second Language at GBMS. (Dr. Brantly was out of town.) Schepmann also likes to use the game pieces for English language learners. “It’s definitely a great program.”

Student-led conferences

Schepmann also reported that, starting in February, GBMS will have student-led parent-teacher conferences, similar to those already conducted at Great Bend High School.

Last week the school held traditional parent-teacher conferences and had a 67 percent attendance from parents. She hopes the student-led conferences will improve the turnout, as they have for GBHS.

“We want parents and teachers to form working relationships,” she said.

For a conference, a student and parent will come to the student’s advisory teacher and the student will explain his or her work and progress. Students are already working on the folders they will present, and they are becoming more engaged as a result, she said.

“I think the students are really invested in proving to their parents what they know,” she said, adding it also increases their sense of accountability. She paraphrased one student’s comment that, “Mom’s not going to be happy when she sees I got a C on this paper.”

“Throughout the process, we’re also teaching 21st-century skills, which are ‘soft skills,’” Schepmann said. For example, each student will introduce his or her parent(s) to the teacher. School board members were invited to come back and help the students practice this skill. If a parent or guardian doesn’t come to the student-led conference, the student will still make the presentation to the teacher while another adult sits in.

Behavior and social emotional learning

The board also heard from Sheryl Neeland and other school counselors, who talked about behavior and social emotional learning. Neeland reported how students are screened for social emotional indicators, behavior, and grades and attendance. Different strategies are used to address concerns. Some students meet in small groups while others are dealt with one on one. So far, they’ve seen a reduction in absences, tardies and F’s.

“Communication with the home is a big part of it,” counselor Brian Williams added. 

Contributions/grants

In action items, the board approved the following grants and contributions:

• A total of $996 from multiple donations have been received in regard to the Lucille Lucas Memorial for funds to be donated to the GBMS Library Book fund.

• Central Kansas Library System contributed $375 toward registration fees for Joy Boyd, library media specialist, to attend the Kansas Library System Conference.

• Parts Inc. Industrial Parts has donated $100 to the Great Bend High School Vocational Technology Club.

• A collaborative effort among The Kansas Traffic Safety Resource Office, Kansas Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Traffic Safety Section and DCCCA Inc. provides public information and education regarding safety on the Kansas roadways. DCCCA has donated $2,292 to the GBHS Robotics Club for the club’s local efforts to help enforce the Buckle Up Kansas program.

• Kristy Alvord, director of Food Services, will receive a Kansas State Department of Education Breakfast Delivery Grant for $5,000. Superintendent Khris Thexton said this will be used to start a “grab-and-go, second chance breakfast” for students at GBHS. Funding for this grant is available by a partnership through Share Our Strength, No Kid Hungry, and Midwest Dairy Council.